Sculpting Tools
by spambit
Summary: Haku was Zabuza's perfect tool. However, the missing-nin used to have his eye on two others as well. This is their story. [I have posted a brief interlude.]
1. Potential

Sculpting Tools

By Daniel Walker

Author's Notes: Momochi Zabuza, Haku, and the Hidden Village of the Mist are not my property.

Chapter 1

"Natose, you're going to be late!"

Slowly, Ipposhi Natose opened his eyes. Waking up was by far his most hated part of the day. The bed was so warm compared to the biting, cold snow of the Hidden Village of the Mist. It was on days like this that he wished he had been born in Konoha.

"Natose, I'm not going to tell you again!"

_I'll bet._ "I'm up!" he called back to his mother. Mumbling incoherently, he grudgingly pulled the covers away and set his bare feet on the cold floor. He yawned and wondered whether it would be worth it to try and get an extra ten minutes of sleep. Then it hit him. Today he was going to be put into a genin team. Today was the day that he started his journey as a ninja. Instantly waking up, he threw on his clothes, secured his forehead protector, and grabbed his weapons. He then opened his window and started roof hopping towards the academy.

Exhausted, Natose walked into the building. _Crap, no one's here! The teams must have been already decided._ He looked around wildly, hoping to find someone who could help him.

"Well, well. Look who decided to show up."

Natose whirled around to find the source of the voice. He almost soiled himself when he saw to whom it belonged. Standing in front of him was none other than the infamous jounin, Momochi "Kijin" Zabuza. Not coming from a ninja family, Natose had only heard of this man by rumors on the street. However, what he heard wasn't encouraging. Back when the test to become genin involved fights to the death between students, Zabuza had marked his place in Hidden Mist history by single-handedly killing over 100 students. After that, he had risen through the ranks with frightening speed to attain the rank of jounin at the age of seventeen. Although in the back of his mind Natose understood that he was fortunate to have such a capable instructor, the man had a terrifying presence about him, almost as if he was death made flesh. The near seven-foot sword strapped to his back didn't help either. Natose suddenly realized that he should speak. "I-I'm s-sorry, sensei," he stuttered.

Zabuza snorted. "I don't mind as long as you can show me that you're worth my time. You still have to pass my test. If you can't then it's back to the academy with you. Now follow me." With that, he walked out the doors and towards the nearby forest. Natose quickly followed.

It was then that Natose noticed the other two genin that accompanied Zabuza. One was a boy with dark blue denim shorts and a white t-shirt underneath an unzipped black jacket. He had shaggy black hair that was kept out of his eyes by his forehead protector. His eyes were actually a bit disturbing. He didn't seem to actually have pupils, at least not normal ones. In the center of his eyes weren't the normal circles with black centers, but shining, gold stars with blue centers. His expression was completely neutral. There was no emotion whatsoever. He's taking the cold assassin thing a bit too far. Natose recognized the boy as Takeo. The two of them were tied at the top of their class at the academy.

The other genin was a skinny boy with black hair down to his neck and a forehead protector above his eyes. He was wearing a blue t-shirt with black shorts. Natose didn't recognize him at all. Unlike the first genin, this one had a smile on his face. _What's he so happy for? Doesn't he know who our sensei is?_

Finally, they arrived at a clearing. Zabuza removed the zanbatou from his back and set it up against a tree. He sat cross-legged on the snow-covered grass and motioned for the genin to do the same. "Seeing as how we'll potentially be working together, why don't we introduce ourselves?" He pointed toward the stoic. "You start. State your name, hobbies, and goals."

The boy nodded. "My name is Kyojin Takeo. My hobbies include training with my father and reading. My goal is to become a ninja strong enough to serve my village."

Zabuza smiled. So the boy was the son of Kyojin Jiro. Kyojin-san was the captain of ANBU's assassination team and hence Zabuza's superior. If Takeo was anything like his father, he would prove to be very useful. Zabuza nodded and moved his gaze to Natose.

It took Natose a few seconds to figure out that he was the center of attention. Not wanting to annoy Zabuza any further, he spoke up. "Oh, sorry. My name is Ipposhi Natose. My main hobbies are jogging and swimming, that is when the lake isn't frozen. I'm the first member of my family to become a ninja, so my goal is to become the strongest ninja of my generation."

_Great. A glory-seeking idealist. Just what I need. I guess I should wait to see what he can do before I judge._ "Good. Determination will bring you far." _Not without raw talent, it won't. You had better be able to pull your weight, kid._

"My name is Shirokawa Haku," the third genin said cheerfully. "I have no hobbies. I have no goals. I simply wish to serve Zabuza-san." Takeo and Natose's eyes narrowed at this. What a pathetic kiss-up, was their collective thought.

Zabuza apparently didn't share in their disgust. "Very good." He turned toward the other two. "What Haku said is absolutely right. Listen up and listen well, brats. Being a ninja means being a tool, plain and simple. You are expected to follow my orders at all times. That means no questions. In a mission, a moment's hesitation after receiving an order could result in the death of your entire team. Assuming that you pass my test, you three are my slaves and my weapons until either you get promoted to chuunin or I decide that you're not worth my time." Zabuza paused to gauge his students' reactions. Takeo was as impassive as ever. _He's probably already heard this from his father._ Natose, on the other hand, had a face full of shock. _Heh. He's got a lot to learn._

"I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Momochi Zabuza. As a member of ANBU, my hobby is killing." Even Takeo's face blanched at this. "This shouldn't surprise you. I am shinobi. This is what I do and what you three will be doing if you manage to become real ninja." Natose was about to protest that he was a real ninja until he was silenced by Zabuza's glare. "For the moment, I have no goals. Like Haku, I simply serve my superiors." Zabuza stood up. The genin followed suit. "Well, how about that test?" he asked rhetorically. "Sometimes you aren't always the assassin. You will encounter situations where you are the hunted. The purpose of this test is to evaluate your survival skills."

None of the genin said a word. Natose was close to sweating bullets. _He can't be suggesting what I think he is, can he?_

Confirming his fears, the fearsome jounin gave the most evil smirk that they had every seen. "Here is the test. You will be given ten minutes. If all of you are still conscious after that time, you pass. However, if I knock out a single team member, you all fail and will be sent back to the academy." Zabuza waited for a few moments for the information to sink in. Giving a contented sigh, Zabuza pressed a button on the digital watch he was wearing. "I suggest that you all start running." Without hesitating, the genin disappeared into the forest. Zabuza smiled. Not bad. Despite his fear, Natose has managed to keep his wits about him. The other two are also doing well, as expected.

Takeo and Natose quickly teamed up and hid in the trees. They knew that if they chose the ground they would have less maneuvering room. Also, the snow was deeper on the ground, making their tracks that much easier to detect. However, against a jounin, especially a member of ANBU, they were pretty sure that Zabuza would be able to find them no matter whey they hid.

Natose suddenly noticed something. "Hey, Takeo," he whispered. "Do you see Haku anywhere?"

Takeo gave a small scowl, the biggest expression of emotion the boy had shown all day. "No. It seems that he has gone off on his own."

Natose shared in his irritation. "That idiot. Doesn't he realize that we're being tested as a team? It's the only way we can hope to win against a jounin." Natose ran through all the jutsu that he knew, trying to find something that would increase their chances of "survival". He managed to select a few that might help, but they all seemed so pathetic against a jounin of Zabuza's caliber. Hopefully Takeo would know some helpful jutsu. However, from the look of Takeo's expression, the other genin didn't seem to be having better luck.

After a few minutes, Takeo's scowl came back. "That stupid Haku!" Somehow, Takeo was able to raise his voice while still remaining barely over a whisper. "Zabuza-sensei's probably taken him out already."

"Wrong," came a voice from behind them that chilled them to their bones. Without even bothering to turn around, they flung themselves off the branch just in time to avoid being skewered by shuriken.

"Well, at least he didn't bring his zanbatou with him," Natose pointed out.

"I don't need it against brats like you who can't even hide properly," Zabuza sneered. "The reason I wasn't here earlier was because I was looking for Haku. That kid actually managed to elude me. But, I guess his effort was in vain since you two are about to fail the test for him." With that, Zabuza lept at Takeo. The boy had been trying to form hand seals but Zabuza managed to grab him by the throat before he finished. "You lose, kid. I'm gonna squeeze the life right out of you."

"Takeo!" Natose yelled. All the fear drained out of him as his mind instantly focused on what he needed to do. The hand seals came to him quicker than he expected. He ended with "tori" and yelled out, "Yukikiba Shuriken no Jutsu!" What happened next wasn't what Zabuza was expecting. Natose grabbed some snow off of the branch that he was standing on and flung it at his sensei. However, what came out of the genin's hands wasn't snow, or at least it didn't look like snow. Natose had managed to perfectly form two shuriken from the soft substance.

_That's a pretty impressive jutsu for someone his age._ "Nice try, kid," Zabuza taunted as he lept above the projectiles, "but it would be faster to throw normal shuriken." It was then that the shurikens exploded, sending shards of sharp ice toward the jounin. Zabuza's eyes widened as he realized that he had no time to dodge. He winced in pain as one of the shards embedded itself in his shin. Nevertheless, he managed to land safely on his other leg.

_I'm not done yet!_ thought Natose as he hurled two kunai at his sensei. He instantly realized his mistake as, after having caught one kunai with his hand, Zabuza used Takeo as a body shield to block the second. The weapon sank deep into Takeo's shoulder. However, instead of a cry of pain, Takeo's body exploded in a puff of smoke. When it cleared, Natose saw that Zabuza had his left hand around a thin log.

"Kawarimi no jutsu," Takeo said from behind Zabuza. Zabuza turned around to face his student, but found himself staring into the boy's piercing gaze, which seemed to glow a most radiant gold. "Here's one of mine. Nekome no jutsu."

Unfortunately, Zabuza made the mistake of blinking. As a result, he lost his focus and was instantly consumed by the genjutsu. The world started to spin and Takeo faded from view. But Zabuza was not a jounin for nothing. He quickly bit into his lip. The pain brought his mind back into focus and the spell was broken. He cursed his carelesness as he was just in time to side-step Natose who had tried to attack him from behind with a kunai. Zabuza was about to teach the boy a lesson when he felt two sharp pains coming from his elbow joints. It felt like he had been hit by senbon. "Haku."

Takeo looked up to see the third teammate standing on a higher branch, that simple smile still on his face. "So that's what you were doing," he murmured.

"Yes. I apologize for making you think that I had abandoned you, Takeo-kun, but it was necessary in order to successfully ambush Zabuza-san."

Zabuza's watch suddenly started beeping. "Well," the jounin sighed, "it looks like you three pass. Congratulations."

As Zabuza treated his new students to a celebratory meal at the nearest ramen restaurant, he smiled to himself. These three would be perfect for his plans. Not only were they all exceptionally gifted, but their skills were diverse enough to make a formidable fighting force. Takeo seemed like the type to rely on genjutsu and traps within traps. Haku, with the eyes of a hawk, made the ideal assassin. Even the "glory-seeking idealist" seemed to have a natural talent with manipulating chakra for ninjutsu. The only thing left to ensure was that they could be molded. If they could, then he would have the tools he needed.


	2. Obedience

Sculpting Tools

By Daniel Walker

Author's Notes: Momochi Zabuza, Haku, and the Hidden Village of the Mist are not my property.

Chapter 2

"Dangit, I'm late again!" Natose yelled as he ran as fast as his legs would take him towards his team's training area. "Zabuza-sensei's going to kill me!" Given his sensei's reputation, this was only half meant as a figure of speech. Actually, what Zabuza had said was that if Natose showed up late again then he would be sent back to the academy. However, since his family's honor rested upon his success as a ninja, such a fate would be almost as unpleasant as death by zanbatou. As he entered the forest, he took to the treetops so that he could gain a better view of the area. _Great, not only am I late, but I'm lost as well. Why do these trees have to all look the same?_

"Brat! Over here!" came a booming voice from Natose's left. He stopped and turned. About two hundred feet away there seemed to be a large gap in the foliage. Natose sweatdropped. _Do I make that much noise when I travel?_ Taking in a deep breath, he decided to go and face his fate. He dropped gracefully into the clearing and looked sheepishly up at his sensei. The weird thing was that neither Takeo nor Haku had arrived yet. "So, not only is the brat not late, he's actually early," Zabuza said, his voice a bit less menacing than usual.

"I'm early?" Natose was confused. _Didn't Zabuza-sensei tell us to meet at the clearing at 6:30 AM?_ He checked his watch. _It's already...5:45? I could have sworn that was a six._

"Well," Zabuza interrupted his thoughts, "as long as you're here we might as well get some training done. Why don't we start with Mizu Bunshin?"

Natose's eyes went wide. Mizu Bunshin was a jutsu where you created a solid replica of your body out of water. However, the skill was jounin level since the chakra had to be knit in a very complicated pattern so that the clone would remain stable. There was no way a genin like himself would be able to create an adequate clone. "B-but, sensei! I can't do Mizu Bunshin yet! I'm just a genin! Maybe if we started with..." He was cut off as Zabuza leveled a most fearsome gaze at him. He promptly shut up.

"Are you telling me how to teach?" the jounin asked with a surprising amount of calm in his voice that didn't match the fury in his eyes. The young boy shook his head violently. "That's better. Never forget that you are my tool. Does your kunai ever question your choice of target?" Once again, the genin shook his head. "Then do as I say and never question me again. As for Mizu Bunshin, I know full well that you can't do it. You don't even have the chakra level for it. However, you're never too young to work on your chakra control." Zabuza paused his lecture and sighed. "Relax, brat, before you sprain something." Slowly, Natose relaxed his posture. "Now, normally Mizu Bunshin is performed when you're near a body of water such as a lake. When you're an advanced enough jounin, you'll be able to create your own water." Natose's eyes brightened in awe at this. "However, that level is years above you. Even my chakra control is barely sufficient." The boy calmed down again. "Anyway, if you ever need to perform the jutsu in weather like this where all the water is frozen, you'll have to extract the water from the snow. After seeing that little shuriken trick yesterday, I'm sure you'll be able to manage."

A smile came to Natose's face at hearing this. Zabuza-sensei was such an intimidating instructor that it was a very pleasant feeling to hear some sort of respect come from him. "Thank you, sensei."

"Hn. Don't let it go to your head. You've still got a long way to go. Anyway, go ahead and gather your chakra." Natose nodded and closed his eyes. Within a few seconds, his body was surrounded by a blue glow. What amazed Zabuza was that the chakra wasn't waving around like a flame. Instead, it remained calm around his body, almost like a second skin. _Very impressive._ However, the light show didn't stop. Soon the visible chakra had intensified to the point where actual blue ripples were starting to form at Natose's feet. _Absolutely amazing! This kid already has a handle on the basis of jounin-level jutsu. He probably doesn't know it yet, though._ "Good. Now hold that for as long as you can." Zabuza walked up behind Natose and placed one hand on his head. "Don't worry. I'm just going to help you concentrate." With his other hand, he made a one-handed seal with his fore and middle fingers extended. "Renzoku Shinen no jutsu." Natose instantly fell asleep, but he remained standing and his chakra was still focused. The Renzoku Shinen was a type of genjutsu that made the victim repeat the same thoughts over and over again until the chakra binding his mind wore off. Zabuza smiled. _When he wakes up, he's going to be more tired than he's ever been in his life. But what doesn't kill you..._

The real 6:30 rolled around and Takeo and Haku arrived at the training area to find Zabuza and Natose waiting for them. "Good morning, Zabuza-san, Natose-kun," Haku greeted, cheerful as ever. Zabuza nodded to both genin.

"Tomorrow you kids will be going on your first mission as shinobi for this village." Takeo's face changed to an expression of resignation. _He's probably expecting a D ranked mission._ "Don't worry. It won't be anything boring. As you have probably been told, genin are usually given D ranked missions at the beginning until their skills are honed enough for more 'entertaining' missions. However, there is something you I need to tell you about this team. Strong genin are typically teamed up with weaker students in order to achieve some measure of balance. This is not the case here. You three were chosen to be together because you are the best of your generation. You all made genin at the age of eight. Most kids your age would be just learning how to throw shuriken. Mizukage-sama has placed you under my command in order to train you to become the elite of our village. This means that we will be getting special treatment when it comes to mission assignments. Just don't let me down. This village has high hopes for all of you." _But more importantly, I have high hopes for all of you._ Zabuza looked around to gauge his students' reactions. Haku still had that innocent smile on his face. Natose's eyes were burning with fire. Even Takeo was getting excited. _Let's see how he deals with this._ "Now, in order to prepare for tomorrow's mission, I want Takeo to kill Natose."

"What?" both boys screamed.

Zabuza smiled, but it wasn't a nice smile. It was the smile of a sadist. "Years ago, when I became a genin, there was an extra test for academy graduates." The two gulped. They had both heard the stories. "That's right. Kids would fight other kids to the death. Do you know the reason why the test was created?"

Takeo managed to contain his terror enough to speak. "T-they wanted to overcome the fear of death?"

"Good answer, but wrong. That just happens to be a pleasant side effect of the test. No, the real purpose was obedience. If a child will kill his friend at your command, then he will do anything you say. I personally believe that the test was a great idea. However, some weak, idealistic fools thought that it was inhuman. They failed to remember that we are not human. We are shinobi. We are tools. Takeo, you said that you wanted to become a shinobi worthy enough to serve your village." The boy nodded hesitantly. "That is what I am testing you on right now." Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "And you are failing. Kill Natose."

"N-no! This is w-wrong, Zabuza-sensei," Takeo stammered. He looked over at Natose. The boy was absolutely frozen in terror. Takeo turned back to Zabuza. Gathering up all his courage, he glared at the jounin, his yellow eyes flashing with determination. "I will not attack a fellow shinobi of the Mist."

"No? You refuse to obey me? Then you have no place on my team." With that, Zabuza drew his zanbatou and swung it at Takeo. Instinctively, the genin flipped backward, narrowly avoiding being cut in two.

"Zabuza-sensei, stop it!" Natose cried. He threw himself at Zabuza, trying to restrain the older ninja's arm. It did him little good, as Zabuza effortlessly tossed him aside. The genin's head smacked painfully against the trunk of a tree, rending him unconscious.

Zabuza snarled at Takeo. "Kill him, boy, or so help me I will kill the both of you as painfully as I can imagine." He quickly moved his weapon in front of his face, blocking the volley of shuriken that the boy had thrown his way. His face lit up with rage. "Attacking your sensei, you worthless sack of vomit? Treason is definitely not the way of a true shinobi." Zabuza closed the distance between him and his student in the blink of an eye. Lifting him up by his neck, he flung the boy toward Natose. "Now get over there and follow orders!"

Takeo picked himself up slowly. He looked to Haku for help, but Zabuza's pet still had that irritatingly serene smile on his face. Turning his gaze to Zabuza, he looked for some sort of hint as to what was going on. This had to be just another test. There was no way that his teacher would ask him to do something so horrible. However, Zabuza gave no hints whatsoever. Sighing in defeat, Takeo opened his hip pouch and pulled out a kunai. _He'll just grab my hand at the last second. At least, I hope he will. He has to._ Taking a deep breath, he brought the blade down hard on his teammate. However, there was no Zabuza to stop him. The weapon penetrated flesh with a sickening squishing sound. Takeo froze in gut-wrenching terror as reality hit him. He had just killed someone; a boy his age no less. _What have I..._ His thoughts were interrupted as Natose's body dissolved suddenly into a pool of water. It took a few seconds for Takeo to figure out what had just happened. "What? A mizu bunshin?" He whirled around to face Zabuza, his face full of confusion.

The jounin began to clap, a smile back on his face once again. "Well done, kid. I have to admit that I didn't think you were going to go through with it." He turned his gaze upward to the trees. "You can come down now." There was a rustling of leaves before Natose landed on the ground in front of Takeo. The landing was a bit sloppy, but he was still tired from the chakra "training" that Zabuza had given him.

Takeo stared at Natose dumbly. "Wait, that was a mizu bunshin the entire time?"

Natose turned around and grinned. "Yeah, it was Zabuza-sensei's idea. I had accidentally gotten here early and it gave him an idea. Although, I'm a little hurt that you were really going to kill me." At this, he faked a wounded look. Takeo, overcome with guilt, was about to say something before Natose's grin came back. "I'm just kidding. You were only doing what Zabuza-sensei told you to." He extended his hand and pulled Takeo to his feet.

Zabuza walked over to them and, in a rare display of compassion, placed his hands on the two boys' shoulders. "Natose is correct. That is the lesson that I want you kids to learn today. I am a jounin not only because of my skill. My rank is also due to my extensive experience. I have been in many battles and killed many people. If we are to function as a team, you will have to follow my orders without hesitation. If I tell you to do something that sounds wrong to you, you will just have to take it on faith that I know what I'm doing. Everything I do has a reason behind it. If you can learn that and remember it at all times, then you will have taken another step towards being a worthy ninja."

Takeo bowed his head. "Forgive me, sensei. I will never doubt you again."

"Good boy. I will hold you to that."

Later that night, Takeo sat on his bed, pondering the day's events. Since his chakra levels were down to virtually nothing, Zabuza-sensei had sent Natose home early. They had spent the rest of the training working on honing their combat abilities. Takeo would run off into the forest and use his genjutsu to try and hide from Haku. Both of them had made a lot of progress. Near the end of the day, Haku had been fooled by a very convincing bunshin and Takeo was able to sneak up behind him and place a kunai around his soft neck. That had been the best part of the day, now that he thought about it. It was so satisfying to show the little teacher's pet a thing or two about stealth. The boy had infuriated him earlier. Obviously, he had known the whole time that Takeo was being tested. He had just stood there with that stupid grin on his face, watching Takeo squirm. Takeo silently vowed that he would never show weakness or hesitation in front of Haku, or anyone else, ever again. He would show the butt-kissing runt what it meant to be ninja.


	3. Growth

Sculpting Tools

By Daniel Walker

Author's Notes: Momochi Zabuza, Haku, and the Hidden Village of the Mist are not my property.

Chapter 3

The following morning, Takeo quickly made his way downstairs to the kitchen. It was five-thirty in the morning and he was full dressed and equipped for the day's mission. Enjoying his precious sleep as much as the next eight year-old, he didn't usually wake up this early. However, he had wanted to talk to his father before the man left for work. Kyojin Jiro was the captain of one of the Hidden Mist's elite ANBU teams, which were completely outside the normal chain of command. They were the right arm of the Mizukage and they reported to him alone. As a result, they often were given very short notice when assignments came up. Takeo had been woken up by the phone ringing and knew that his father was being called away. He made it to the kitchen just in time to see the door close. He ran to the door and stepped outside, looking all around for his father. The man was nowhere to be seen.

Takeo sighed. He had meant to talk to his father last night, but Jiro had come home late. He was about to go back inside and try to get some sleep before he had to meet with his team when he sensed a small object flying down and towards him. In a flash he fell into a handspring and turned about in mid-air. When he landed, he had readied two kunai in overhand positions and gotten into a battle stance.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down there, squirt! I'm just messing with you!" came a voice from the roof of Takeo's house. Takeo relaxed. The voice belonged to none other than Oka Kenji, a neighborhood boy who was seven years older and had babysat for Takeo in the past. Despite their age differences, the two had grown nearly inseparable over the years. However, that had recently changed a few months ago when Kenji had been promoted to chuunin, a rank that Takeo sometimes felt Kenji did not merit. For as long as he had known the older boy, Kenji had been nothing but a troublemaker. It was actually strange that the two got along as famously as they did. Kenji seemed determined to be a kid forever, while Takeo already seemed to have the cold, calculating exterior that was stereotypical of ANBU. However, despite his jovial attitude, Kenji was nothing but deadly on the battlefield and a strong leader.

Kenji jumped down onto the snow-covered ground and rustled Takeo's hair. After picking up his errant shuriken, he smirked at the genin. "What are you doing up at this awful hour? Does your mommy know that you're up and running about?" he joked good-naturedly. He was quite aware that Takeo had just become a genin and therefore ought to be recognized as a well-trained ninja, but he just couldn't resist a good ribbing when the opportunity presented itself, and sometimes when it didn't.

Takeo narrowed his golden eyes at the chuunin. "I was trying to talk to my father. I needed to ask him something but he left before I could get his attention." He lowered his eyes and grimaced.

Kenji's smile dropped. He knew that it was hard on Takeo. Anyone could tell that Kyojin Jiro loved his son more than life itself, but it was hard being an ANBU, especially the captain of the AA team; that is, Abduction and Assassination. Sometimes you just couldn't spend the time you wanted with your family. Kenji moved his hand from Takeo's head to his shoulder. "He got called for a mission, huh?" Takeo nodded. "Is it anything that I can help you with?" Takeo looked unsure. "Oh, come on. Don't sell your old buddy Kenji short. I may not be an ANBU but I keep my ears open. I got dirt on a bunch of people, so whatever you need to know I probably got it." He grinned from ear to ear, hoping to cheer the kid up.

Takeo did manage a small smile. "All right. What do you know about Momochi Zabuza?"

Kenji's eyes widened for a second. "Whoa. I didn't know you wanted the goods on him." He sighed. "Well, the guy keeps to himself so much that I don't have much. I also have never been on any missions with him, so all I can give you is the word on the street. Anyway, the guy's ANBU. As a matter of fact, he's on your father's team." Takeo's interest piqued at this. "He's also one of the seven practitioners of the Angel Sword Style. That means that he carries around one of those crazy zanbatou. Don't think that that slows him down, though. The guy was made for ANBU. I don't know he does it with that huge sword on his back, but the way I hear it he can sneak up on and kill an entire team without a single one of them knowing he was there." Kenji stopped and took a breath, the look on his face indicating that he was slightly uncomfortable. "That isn't even the half of this guy. He never actually attended the academy. Six years ago, back when they still held matches to the death between newly promoted genin, he showed up out of nowhere and single-handedly slaughtered over 100 kids. Instead of exterminating the little demon child, Mizukage-sama thought he'd be a good addition to the ranks and so he made Zabuza a genin. A few months later he made chuunin. One year later he was a member of ANBU. As usually happens with ANBU, somewhere down the road he got a field promotion to jounin." Kenji shook his head. "This guy is bad news, squirt. If I had my way Momochi 'Demon' Zabuza would have been killed the minute he showed his face six years ago. Stay away from him at all costs." Takeo looked uncomfortable at that last piece of advice, but Kenji failed to notice. "By the way, why did you want to know about that freak anyway?"

It took a few moments for Takeo to find his voice. When he did, it came out squeaky. "He's my jounin sensei." Cautiously, he looked up at Kenji to gauge the older boy's reaction.

All the blood drained from the chuunin's face. It just as quickly filled his face again in order for Kenji to let Takeo know just what he thought of that bit of information. "Sweet mercy, Mizukage-sama let that monster near children?" He would have screamed had it not been so early in the morning.

Takeo looked offended. "Hey, I can take care of myself. I'm eight years old, not some little kid. Besides, Zabuza-sensei is a great teacher. He's been helping me perfect my genjutsu."

Kenji raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" He grinned mischievously. "Follow me." With that, he took to the rooftops. Takeo quickly pursued, a bit confused as to what the chuunin was up to. After a minute or so they had gone past the boundaries of the city and into the forest where the genin training grounds were. Reaching a clearing by the frozen lake, Kenji leapt to the ground. "All right, shrimp. Let's see your best moves." He reached into his hip pouch and pulled out a single kunai. Takeo eyes narrowed.

"Very well," the boy replied coolly. Instead of pulling out a weapon, his hands went straight into a "tora" hand seal position. Kenji was confused. _Tora? He doesn't know any katon. Wait a minute. Isn't that also the seal that he uses for... Oh, crap!_ Anticipating Takeo's Nekome no Jutsu, Kenji quickly averted his gaze. "Bunshin no Jutsu!" _Huh?_ Kenji looked up to see himself surrounded by Takeo's.

Kenji smiled. "Not bad. You tricked me into thinking you were using Nekome no Jutsu so I wouldn't see which one of the bunshin you switched with." All the Takeo's drew two kunai from their pouches and gripped them overhand. At once they leapt into the air towards Kenji. _Very good. This way your footprints don't give you away. However, using bunshin is tricky. You're going to mess up eventually._ He picked a random attacker and threw the kunai at it. Unfortunately, it passed right through, causing the bunshin to instantly dissipate. His hands free, Kenji began a rapid sequence of hand seals.

Takeo was confused. _The first four seals are the ones used in Kawarimi no Jutsu, but he didn't stop there. Oh, well. He won't have time to finish his jutsu._ The five remaining Takeo's thrust their kunai at the same time, all aiming for non-vital areas. However, as soon as the real kunai made contact, Kenji's body burst into smoke. When it cleared, all Takeo's kunai was embedded in a log. Takeo's eyes shot wide open. In his confusion he lost focus and the bunshin disappeared. He didn't have long to think about it as the real Kenji came up from behind and launched a powerful thrust kick into the young genin's side. Takeo barely had time to fling his body to the side. Jumping to his feet, he grimaced at how well he was duped. _He did use Kawarimi no Jutsu. The rest of the seals were purely for show._ His thoughts were interrupted as thick mist rose from the ground. After a few seconds, Takeo could barely see a foot in front of him. _So, that's how you want to play it._ His eyes narrowed as he began to form seals.

Kenji smirked as he audibly monitored his prey. He may not have been a hunter-nin, but he still knew a few tracking skills. He readied a few shuriken. He was about to throw them when all trace of Takeo suddenly vanished. Instead, all he could hear was a faint buzzing noise all around him. _Crap, where is he? I have to end this quickly. This technique takes up way too much chakra. I can't believe that he's giving me this much trouble._

"Having trouble, Kenji?" Takeo's voice seemed to come from everywhere.

_Not bad for a genin. However, I know how to flush out elusive prey._ "Well, I have to admit. Your genjutsu has improved a little. Did Zabuza teach you this?" As he was giving away his position, Kenji let the mist drop. Before he became visible he quickly created a bunshin in his place as he leapt into the air. Sure enough, a shuriken flew out of the trees and passed right through the bunshin. Kenji smiled as he formed seals, ending with "tora". "A ninja shouldn't fall for the same trick twice! Katon: Jigoku Kaze no Jutsu!" A wide stream of fire erupted from the chuunin's mouth and engulfed the clearing below.

Takeo cried out in pain as the very air around him caught on fire. His flesh seared and he felt like he was breathing flames. He had never heard of the technique before, but it was definitely powerful. His control slipping, he fell out of the tree. "Give!" he managed to yell out. His vision was hazy, but he saw Kenji land on the ground and rush towards him. At first he thought that the older boy was coming to see if he was all right, but as Kenji got closer he twisted his body into a crushing side-thrust kick. Takeo clenched his eyes shut. After a second he heard the kick connect and grunt followed, but strangely he felt no pain and the grunt wasn't his. He opened his eyes to see a man standing in front of him. The man had a zanbatou strapped to his back. "Momochi-sensei?"

Zabuza turned his head. "You all right, kid?" Seeing the boy nod, he turned his attention back to Kenji. His glare could have frozen hell in an instant, but surprisingly Kenji did not back down. He looked a little nervous, but he refused to let his gaze turn aside. "You could have really hurt the kid with that kick." The voice was calm but held such malice that it shook Takeo to the core.

After Zabuza released it, Kenji lowered his foot to the ground. Taking a breath, he mustered up as much courage as he could. "I wasn't aiming for him." Zabuza raised an eyebrow. "How long were you watching us?"

Zabuza chuckled. It did not sound pleasant. "You're pretty sharp. If it wasn't for your atrocious fighting prowess, I'd think about recommending you to ANBU." Kenji didn't know whether to feel complemented or not. "As for your question, I've been on you guys since Takeo's house." Kenji's eyes widened at this. All thought of keeping a calm and cool exterior vanished. He gulped audibly and unconsciously took a step back. "That's right. How about I give you the chance to correct the Mizukage's 'mistake'? You think you can take me?"

"Momochi-sensei..." Takeo was quickly silenced by Zabuza's raised hand.

Realizing that he had seriously lost this battle of wills, Kenji gathered himself and bowed low to Zabuza, although his shaking almost caused him to fall over in the process. "Momochi-san. Please excuse my earlier comments. I spoke out of line." Earning a nod from the jounin, he raised and hurriedly left the clearing.

It was then that Takeo noticed that there was absolutely no sign of the katon. The grass wasn't scorched and there was no smoke in the air. He realized that he wasn't harmed nor were his clothes damaged. He looked up at his teacher in confusion.

Zabuza quickly figured out what had befuddled his student. "It was a genjutsu," he explained. At Takeo's stare he continued. "Remember this. Genjutsu is powerful. However, even some of the trickiest illusions can become completely useless once your opponent knows that he's being tricked. Some genjutsu users are talented enough that their illusions dig their way deep into the subconscious, becoming very hard to break. For others, a great way to mask their illusion is to pass it off as ninjutsu."

Takeo seemed to understand. He switched subjects. "Momochi-sensei, Kenji was taking it easy on me. He really is a very skilled chuunin."

Zabuza chuckled again. "Believe me, kid, I know." He rubbed his left hand, the one that had caught Kenji's kick. "The punk broke my hand."


	4. Business

Sculpting Tools

By Daniel Walker

Interlude

"Ah, that's good sake," Osako Ujio murmured to himself as he sipped his cup. Drinking was the best way to start off a day in his opinion. He had been doing this every morning for the past twelve years. He cursed to himself as bitter memories came back to him all of a sudden, ruining his good mood. It was all Zabuza's fault. Thirteen years ago, he, along with a handful of other jounin and some high-ranking chuunin, had followed Momochi Zabuza in his effort to assassinate the Mizukage. The plan had failed miserably. Before they had barely taken a step into the Mizukage's tower, they were discovered by ANBU. They were quickly overwhelmed and Zabuza called a retreat. They spent the next year steering clear of civilization, trying to avoid the hunter-nin. They took various jobs from many an unsavory character, anything to finance a second assault on Kirigakure.

Ujio let out a laugh, but there was no pleasant feeling behind the humor. A few of the other patrons looked at him, but they quickly went back to nursing their glasses after a hard glare from him. Zabuza had been an idiot. Ujio had told him that a second assault would be as futile as the first, but Zabuza would have none of it, not even from his second-in-command. However, he had cast his lot with Zabuza and he had been determined to see how his hand played out. Things went from bad to worse. Zabuza had had the horribly bad luck to run into Hatake Kakashi, the legendary Copy Ninja from Konohagakure. Zabuza would have died that day if not for that bootlicking chuunin Haku rescuing him at the last minute. Zabuza, his arrogance once again getting the best of him, confronted Kakashi a week later. Ujio didn't know the details of it, but Zabuza and Haku never returned. If that weren't bad enough, that day Hidden Mist hunter-nin descended upon their hideout. Ujio managed to escape in the confusion. He did not consider himself a coward, far from it, but he knew how to pick his battles. Since that day, he had been running, trying to stay one step ahead of those who sought his life. _I'll see you in hell, Zabuza._

Finishing his drink, he slammed a bill on the counter and stormed out of the bar. People who were in his way got out of it quickly. However, in his fury he failed to notice a man in the corner get up and follow him out.

Ujio cursed as he walked through the trash-filled streets that led to the motel that he was currently staying at. Thirteen years ago he had lived in a very comfortable apartment flat. He had been a respected jounin and the sensei of three capable genin. Life had been good. Why in the world had he thrown it all away to follow that insufferable moron? Looking up at the sky, he saw that it was about to rain. What a rotten day this was turning out to be. The only way it could get any worse was...

The faint yet familiar sound of footsteps on tile roofing triggered battle-trained reflexes and Ujio whipped out a pair of kunai as he spun around. "Come out, hunter!" he snarled. "If we're going to fight, let us fight like men! No sneaking around!"

There was silence for a few moments. Then a voice started and it seemed to come from everywhere. "We are not men, Osako Ujio. We are shinobi." The speaker paused. "However, I suppose I could grant a last request." With that, a figure dropped to the ground behind Ujio. He was garbed in the typical hunter-nin black clothing. On his face was a clay mask with two red vertical lines passing across the eye slits. "Is this more to your liking?" he asked in an emotionless voice.

Ujio spun around in surprise. He cursed mentally. He must have drunk more than he thought if this man was able to sneak up on him so easily. Barely missing a beat, he threw both his kunai at his opponent and immediately started forming hand seals. The weapons missed, of course, but they bought him the time that he needed to complete his technique. "Suiton: Suishouha!" An underground river that passed below the street erupted to the surface and became a wave twenty feet high. The street was quickly covered in the watery onslaught. Nevertheless, a figure emerged calmly from the surface of the water after a few moments. His hands were already in the "snake" form.

"Doton: Tekkou Hebi Shibari no Jutsu." Six grappling chains sprung out of the ground and wrapped themselves securely around Ujio. "You are beaten," the hunter-nin said in the same cold voice. "Submit now and I will make your death painless."

Ujio smirked. "I'm beaten, am I?" His form dissolved into a puddle of water. The hunter-nin didn't move a muscle but Ujio could have sworn that the man's eyes glowed for a brief moment through the mask's eye slits. Assuring himself that it was nothing, he fell from a rooftop and plunged two kunai into his opponent's back. He had a grin on his face for the split-second before the hunter-nin's body dissolved into water itself. Ujio didn't have time to react as the ground beneath his feet suddenly opened, forming a giant chasm. He plunged into darkness. His mind became a hazy blur as he desperately tried to think of a jutsu to get himself out of this predicament. However, the alcohol prevented him from thinking clearly. It wasn't until the last second when he felt a kunai drive into his back and he was slammed into the wall of a building that he realized that he had just fallen for a genjutsu.

Slumping to the ground, he turned himself around to face his killer. "At least let me see your face," he said while coughing up blood. "It's my right." Sighing, the only sign of emotion the man had shown so far, the hunter-nin removed his mask. Ujio gasped. "You?" He chortled, which sounded odd with the blood clogging his throat. "I guess this is how it should be." He paused, considering something. "Tell me, am I the last one?" Seeing the nod, he sighed. "So it's over." A green glow suddenly surrounded his body. "Chakra Bakuhatsu no Jutsu!" Ujio's body exploded in a storm of fire, blood, and flesh.

Kyojin Takeo stepped out of the shadows and exhaled. He was glad that he thought to switch with a bunshin after stabbing Ujio. A smile came to his face as he realized that Ujio had saved him the task of disposing of the body. The smile faded away as the scene before him brought back an old memory. His first mission. His first kill.


End file.
